Apparently the Saints never got the memo

As highly unlikely as it may be, if either Slovenia or Algeria stifles England or finds a way to steal a win, advancing becomes complicated. It's even more complex if England qualifies early and decides to rest players for their final group match much like the United States did after cementing their advancement in 2002 The U.S. Then, how the United States loses to England is of ultimate importance The US cannot afford a normal English/American meeting The game cannot get out of hand. A three- or four-goal loss is all it could take to keep the United States out of the knockout rounds. Or, two goals could be enough, considering Slovenia's stingy defense. It only takes one mistake, and the makeup of this group, along with the United States' weaknesses, may be enough to have that happen.Of course, the draw could have been worse It's a relief that the U.S. is playing Algeria and Slovenia rather than the Ivory Coast and Portugal. And this World Cup in particular has more competitive sides qualifying than ever before It was highly unlikely based on the U.S. seeding that they were going to coast through their group.Still, let's talk about the luck of the draw after the U.S is through to the second round..

Nobody makes the Patriots look like that. Nobody.You don't tug on Superman's cape, You don't spit into the wind You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger And you don't mess around with Slim Or Tom. Or Bill.Apparently, the Saints never got the memo.In this high-stakes card game, New England folded their hand with five minutes left.Too rich for my blood, Charlie.Oh Sean Payton, I so want you in my poker game.And so you can't blame Saints fans for feeling pretty good about their team's chances the rest of the way. You see they've got the Midas touch- and we're not talking Mufflers here- every thing they touch turns to gold including aging cornerbacks who haven't played football in a year.Poor ol' Brett Favre. However, it does not require 20/20 vision to see how thoroughly the New Orleans Saints dominated the New England Patriots on Monday night.As Dan Pompei of NBC Sports wrote recently, "How long before midnight strikes in this fairy tale Can Favre last 16 games playing at this level There is reason for skepticism because he petered out in each of his last two seasons."Reason for skepticism indeed.Remember how it all slipped away for Favre one year ago. In 2008, golden boy Favre threw eight interceptions and only two TD's in the Jets final five games to doom the team's playoff hopes.As sportswriter Adam Tom Brown wrote, "If Vikings fans are curious as to what they have to look forward to in 2009, they need look no further than Favre’s guffaw inspiring end to his 2008 stint with the New York Jets. Through week 11, the Jets were an impressive 8-3 under Favre’s elderly leadership. And then, all hell broke loose.""Over the last five games, Favre threw an impressive nine interceptions while putting up just two TD passes. The Jets lost four of those last five games. Things got so tense in the Jets camp that at one point RB Thomas Jones suggested that Favre should have been benched after throwing 3 INT’s in one game. He wasn’t benched, of course. In fact, he was selected to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl. Makes sense.""All indications at the end of 2008 were that Favre’s geriatric cannon had run out of gas."Favre's generic cannon has not run out of gas And, no one is questioning Favre's exploits in 2009 He is a serious contender for MVP and rightfully so.

However, given last season's swan dive, can the NFL's most prestigious flip-flopper finish what he started. You have to wonder.Cleveland Brown's coach Eric Mangini has no doubt that Favre is up for the job.Mangini told Pompei, “I don’t know what the history of performance at that position at that age is, I just know that Brett’s different than a lot of guys I’ve been around He’s a special player. I don’t underestimate Brett’s ability to do anything.”Wrote Pompei: "Favre’s performance dip in New York clearly was tied to a torn biceps tendon in his throwing shoulder Most quarterbacks wouldn’t have even played with it. So the key for the Vikings might be trying to keep him as healthy as possible."“For any quarterback , they get hit a lot,” Mangini said. “They deal with a lot of different things over the course of a season.

I know with Brett, he’s extremely tough and extremely competitive and last season things didn’t go the way we wanted to at the end. But he remained as competitive as ever and did the best he could.”Of course, the national media will never tell you the Vikings 10-1 record has come against teams with a combined record of of 36-63. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it.” Artest, who was born and raised in the Queensbridge projects in Queens, New York, played college basketball at St. John’s University and he was selected by the Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. “When I was a 19-year-old father, whew. I was a single pimp! I was wild,” said the unbalanced hoopster who infamously once attended a practice with the Indiana Pacers donning only a bath robe “A lot of marijuana and alcohol I still party and have fun, but not like I used to. I used to drink every night and party every night.” Artest, the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and four-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, also revealed to the famed athletic periodical that he doesn’t regret as a Pacer inciting the violent brawl in Detroit that halted a contest against the Pistons. The vicious melee “wasn’t my fault…I don’t see anything I could have done differently.” Artest is simply crazier than a shithouse rat. The ghetto ballplayer from Gotham needlessly mugged Pistons center Ben Wallace in the waning minutes of a Pacers blowout victory in November 2004. Wallace, 35, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, justifiably shoved Artest in retaliation to his dirty tactics. Artest subsequently retreated to the scorer’s table in a yellow manner and bizarrely laid down on it like a retiree in Del Boca Vista. An unruly fan in the audience seized this opportunity to unwisely toss a cup of suds at Artest. In a George Brett on crack-like moment, Artest stormed the seats at The Palace in Auburn Hills and a massive fight involving several Pacers and fans ensued. NBA Commissioner David Stern rightfully suspended Artest for the remainder of the 2004-2005 season for his deplorable actions in Motown. The prolonged banishment is estimated to have cost Artest approximately $7 million in salary. Despite the universal criticism and scorn that Artest received for his disgusting behavior that fateful autumn evening, the former Red Storm superstar still expressed interest in scrapping Wallace at some point in the future. “He said he wanted to fight me You all need to check and see if he’s still drinking,” said Wallace, a chiseled physical specimen who looks like nobody to be trifled with “He’s just running his mouth You all know who you are talking about. It’s Ron Artest, just talking.” The Lakers signed Artest to a five-year deal worth about $33 million this past July to help in their quest to repeat as champions. Artest is an exceptional defensive player and he is a solid scoring option. Nevertheless, signing Artest is a precarious gamble for any team to take. Artest can again implode in an instant and his volatile nature can destroy any chemistry that a winning team has established over the course of time. Artest mentions periodically that he witnessed a murder occur on a basketball court in the rough neighborhood that he lived in during his younger years. “It was so competitive, they broke a leg from a table and they threw it, it went right through his heart and he died right on the court,” Artest claimed.